Appendix - Will of Roger Comberbach

Will of Roger Comberbach, 1602.

In the name of God. Amen. The xiiij day of Marche in xlvth yeare of the raigne of or sovraigne Lady Elizabeth by the grace of God Queen of England ffrance & Ireland de­fender of the faythe &c 1602. I Roger Comberbach of Wiche Malbanke in the countye of Chester tanner being sicke in body but whole in mynde I praise God therefore do make this my pnte Testamt conteyninge therin my last will in mann’ & forme followinge, ffirste I bequeath my soule in­to the hands of almighty God my creator, hopinge to be saved all onely by the death of his sonne Jesus Christ my alone saviour & and redeem’ & my body to be buryed in the Church or churchyards of Wiche aforesaid accordinge to the discretion of my executors It. I will and my mynd is that my debts beinge payd my legacies fun’all expences dis­charged that the rest & residue of my goods & chattels & debts to me owinge as appeareth by my debt books shalbe parted & devyded equall parts and portions, whereof Mar­garet my wife to have one equall part, my sonne Thomas Comberbach another equall pte, my sonne Roger another squall parte, my sonne John another equall pte, & my daugh­ter Margaret another equall part. It. I will that Margaret my wife shall have & enjoy the house & garden thereto belonginge wherein I nowe do dwell duringe her life, if she shall live sole unmaryed & keepe it in my name, & if she marry then my will is that she shall have that part of the house adioyninge wh is Mr Wilbraham’s lande in such sort as it is nowe devyded & halfe the garden belonginge to that house, she the said Margaret payinge the whole rent to Mr Wilbraham his heires and assigns wch shalbe yearely due for the same. It. I give & bequeath to Margaret my wife the house & garden that I hold of Mr Wilbraham of Wood­hey duringe her life & if she marry I will that my sonne Roger shall have halfe the garden. It. I give and bequeath vnto the said Margaret my wife one rentcharg of xls yearly payable to mee my exors & assigns by my mother in lawe Salmon duringe her life as appeareth by Indentures betwixt us made, but if she marry then I will that my sonne Thomas shall have the said rent so longe as my sayde mother lyveth. It. I give & devise to my said son Thomas & to the heires males of his body to be begotten the house whr’in I nowe dwell togethwr wth the garden therevnto belonginge wth all & singul’ theire appurt’. And for default of such issue male then I give and bequeath the same to Roger Comberbach my sonne & to the heires males of his body to be begotten, & for want of such issue male to John Comberbach my third sonne & the heires males of his body to be begotten & for want of such heires then to the right heirs of me the sayde Roger. It I geve & bequeth to Laurence Sworton alias Comb’bach my reputed sonne xls. It. I geve & bequeath to Wm Stonyar, James Cootton, & Thomas Latham my men xs apeece. It. I geve & bequeth to my brothr Richard my cloake, to Mary Spencer my cosin xxs to Katerin Johnes my maid servt. vjs viijd, to James* (*Query, Jane?) Mylner als Edwards xiijs iiijd It. I will that the rest & residue of the yeares wth my said men servants are covenanted to serve me shalbe referred to the discretion of my executrs heareafter named to deale wth them as they shall think best they to continue to tanne out the lethr in the pike after as my executors shall thinke fittest. It. my will & desire is that my executors shall have the vsinge & disposinge of all my goods to the use & behoofe of my children aforesaid. It. my will & mynde is that if any of my said childrn shall decease before they come to the age of xxi yeares or shalbe put forth to some trade science or occupacon wth all or part of thr portion or portions that then the portion of the said partye so dyinge shalbe equally parted and devyded amongst the rest of my children then livinge, But if any of them shalbe maryed be­fore the said age of xxi yeares & dye before the saide age then his or her portion shall not be devyded as aforesayde. But if any of them be sett or put to some trade science & oc­cupation wth some such portion of their childs part as my executors shall thinke meet and dye before the said age of xxi yeares then my mynde is that his or their portion so put to trade then remayninge shalbe equally devyded amongst the rest of my children then livinge. It. I will that after the decease of my said wif my said sonne Roger shall have the foresaid house & garden that I hold of Mr Wilbraha’ duringe the life of the said Thomas my sonne. It. I do make & ordeyne of this my pnte Testamt & last will Randulphe Churche William Salmon my brother in lawe Margaret Comb’bache my wiffe my true & lawfull executos whom I request to see this my will & testamt truly performed. And I make Thomas Maynwaringe & Richard Comb’bach my brother ou’seers of the same. I revoke & utterly annull all former wils & bequests hearetofore made by me at any tyme. In witnes etc